Funny Magic

Day 5 - Location, Location, Location

Where do you like to indulge in your craft? Is your favourite arm chair your little knitting cubby area, or do you prefer to ‘knit in public’? Do you like to crochet in the great outdoors, perhaps, or knit in the bath, or at the pub?

Hi there - missed yesterday's knitting post - 'twas a busy, busy day. Anyhoo, where do I like to knit? Hmmm...I'd say anywhere and everywhere (except the bathtub because a: I hate our bathtub so I only take showers, and b: a wet WIP is a sad WIP), however here's my favorite spot:

the big, comfy chair in our living room, which offers the this view:

 A little tv after everyone's tucked in bed at night, or a little "cat-dancing," aka Flossie barking and trying to entice a very reluctant Millie (one of our cats)  to play during most of my waking hours. ***Sigh***

Now that the weather has turned for the warmer, you'll also find me sitting out here a lot with needles in hand:

 

Have a very happy Friday!

Day 3 - One Great Knitter

Write about a knitter whose work (whether because of project choice, photography, styling, scale of projects, stash, etc) you enjoy. If they have an enjoyable blog, you might find it a good opportunity to send a smile their way.

Oh my. Where to begin? There are so many knitters out there who's work I admire and enjoy, but I really dig Nora Gaughan. I've had the Intricate Stag Bag on my "To-Knit" list forever:

(Lotsa' Stag Bags here.)

And wouldn't it look great with this?

I mean, not only do I wanna knit that sweater/coat so's I can put it on for the duration of this coming fall/winter and never take it off, but check out the t-shirt underneath. I want!

Find more "One Great Knitter" posts here. Ta-ta for now!

Day 2 - An Inspirational Pattern

Blog about a pattern or project which you aspire to. Whether it happens to be because the skills needed are ones which you have not yet acquired, or just because it seems like a huge undertaking of time and dedication, most people feel they still have something to aspire to in their craft.

What do you dream about knitting? Here's what I aspire to knit someday: The Shipwreck Shawl.

I have yet to knit a lace shawl, and this, well...this is what I endeavor to knit. 

There's even beautiful beads to work in there, like little bits of seaglass. Love.   You can find lots more Shipwrecks on Ravelry here.

(More Knit and Crochet blog week here.)

Day 1 - Starting Out

(Okay, so this week I'm gonna be posting each and every day, as I couldn't resist participating in "Knit and Crochet Blog Week." Thanks, Michelle, for the link-up!)  Alright, here goes:

How and when did you begin knitting/crocheting? Was it a skill passed down through generations of your family, or something you learned from Knitting For Dummies? What or who made you pick up the needles/hook for the first time? Was it the celebrity knitting ‘trend’ or your great aunt Hilda?

(Charlie, 2 weeks old)

My "knitterly roots" go back to the year or so after my son was born; I remember picking up a little pattern booklet titled, "I Can't Believe I'm Knitting!" or something silly like that, along with a ball of yarn and some needles and trying to teach myself to knit a scarf...but I just couldn't wrap my brain around the whole concept. In frustration I turned to crochet, which I understood and completely ran away with. I crocheted a baby blanket, a few pairs of mittens, a matching hat and scarf set in some funky retro colors (note to self: should post that someday), to name just a few. And then a couple of years later, a good friend of mine gave me this for Christmas:

I decided to take another stab at knitting, with the help of this book. I figured it out and knit some dishcloths while in a cabin on a little wintertime family vacay in Brainerd, MN with my hubby and son.

After the dishcloths I started knitting us some hats:

And a "Wiggly Worm" scarf for my-then-three-year-old-boy:

(Pictured above is the "Silly Snake" scarf from the book - I still love this pattern!)

And that's how it all began...I wanted to learn so I taught myself, and the rest is yarny history.  I don't know what I'd do without my wool and needles and WIP's - I can honestly say that learning to knit has been one of the best things I've ever done for myself. I only wish I'd started knitting back when I was a kid, but I'll make up for it by teaching Juliet; I've taught Charlie, and once in a while you'll find him knitting a bit, which I think is very cool...maybe someday he'll crank out a scarf or a pair of socks for himself!

I'll be back here tomorrow for Day 2 of knitterly goodness. Until then, have yourself a super-duper day!

Ballpark Days

For the next couple of months I'll be spending a lot of my time here:

I'll be watching and encouraging my girl as she plays T-Ball for the very first time; yesterday evening was her first practice with "the team," and when she was up at bat and hit the ball, she promptly went after the ball (with bat still in hand) and returned it to her coach - what can I say, she's very efficient and thoughtful! teehee. I forsee a bit of practicing on our own this weekend...!

Of course I'll be knitting, too,

and supporting my sweet boy, who'll also be suiting-up for baseball next week. Life's gonna be downright "busy-with-a-capital-B" around Thompson Ranch, but I'm gonna try my hardest to just chillax and enjoy these evenings at the ballpark - the grass and sunshine and warm Spring air - while cheering for my mini-me's and their team(s). Happy weekend to you! 

We Have a Winner!

And the lucky lady is....

Senja!!

(I'll email for your address so's I can send a package to your doorstep with some purple-y goodness in it.)

Thanks, everyone, for reading and sharing your happy color with me!

Sewing + Giveaway = Happygoodtimes

I'm back at the machine, and it feels so good; there's something about a change of seasons that makes me wanna sew. Here's what I'm working on right now:

A new cover for a toss pillow.

A new shower curtain made from a vintage chenille bedspread.

And finally, a big 'ol patchwork quilt top using Anna Maria's Folksy Flannels. (For the record, I am SO IN LOVE with these fabrics I can hardly stand it.) Oh, and have I ever mentioned that pink is my favorite color?? Guess it's rather obvious in this post...what can I say, it's my happygoodtimes color.

Oh, and guess what else? It seems I've reached my 250th post, which of course means it's time for a GIVEAWAY! All's you gotta do is leave a comment telling me what your "happy color" is, and I'll send a little somthin' (in your happygoodtimes color, of course!) to your doorstep. Sound good? Good! (Comments will close Monday eve.)

Now go and have yourself a very happy weekend! 

Thrifting

  

Some thrifted finds from last week...I discovered a super fantastic (and super cheap!) thrift store in a town that we pass through on the way out to my mom's place.

Happy weekend to you and your's!

Turn the Page...Tuesday

It's been a couple of months since I posted for TTPT, but I have been reading - here's what's passed through my hands (and brain) as of late:

Eh. It was alright. I found the storyline and characters mildly engaging, but had a hard time really caring about any of it. I reached the end because I think I was hoping the whole time that this book would be something that it wasn't. I hate it when that happens. Argh.

Last month I read this, and liked it a whole lot better...to me, it was a novel about tragedy and transcendence; if you read the first review that pops up on Amazon, that pretty closely describes how I felt about this book.

Anyhoo, it's TTPT one year anniversary - my, how time flies when you're having fun reading lotsa books! Thank-you, Adrienne, for masterminding and organizing the whole thing; I love to read about what other people are reading.  Oh, and did you know that it's also National Poetry Month? How did this nearly escape me?? I've put some links under "I Like" in my sidebar, if you're so inclined...now let's get out there a read a poem or two!

Poppy/Lilly + Five

Hello, and Happy April! Yesterday it was a balmy 75 degrees here in Minnesota - we're looking at more of the same today, and I love it. But wait! There's even more good news, in that I finished knitting Poppy this past week:

Juliet has decided to name her Lilly...and speaking of Juliet, she turned 5 this past week. We celebrated with two birthday parties, one with family and friends, and another with Juliet's girlfriends that included tea and cupcakes and kid-decorated tiaras.

 Here's a pic of Juliet and her friend in jammies - they love to dress up and change outfits many, many times when they're together, and by "cake time" this is what they were wearing:

To my dear little bug-catching, music-loving, full-of-silliness-girl....

Five is gonna be just awesome. Love, your silly 'ol Mama.

Wishing you all a warm and happy day with those you love best in this world!